On the order of one-half of the motor vehicles sold in the United States today are trucks or sport utility vehicles (SUVs). In addition, many of these vehicles, as well as many passenger cars, mini-vans and the like, are equipped to tow trailers. Thus, today's consumers generally regard the ability to transport cargo of various descriptions as a highly desired feature.
Trucks, SUVs and trailers all typically include a generally horizontally oriented cargo supporting surface or bed that is surrounded by generally vertically oriented side walls, which together define the cargo space of the transport vehicle. Usually one or more of the side walls is movable to provide better access to the cargo space, and most typically the aft wall or tailgate of the transport vehicle can be lowered to provide such access.
While provided as original equipment, the tailgate also can impede cargo loading and unloading by requiring vertical lifting of the cargo over the raised tailgate, or by requiring loading of cargo onto the tailgate and a second step of sliding the cargo horizontally into the cargo space or box. In the lowered position, most tailgates prevent cargo handling personnel from standing immediately next to the open aft end of the cargo box so that cargo can be lifted directly into the cargo box. As a result of cargo loading and unloading problems, pickup truck and trailer owners not infrequently remove the original equipment tailgate and simply tie cargo down in the cargo box or replace the tailgate with a removable mesh or webbing barrier.
Moreover, pickup trucks with fifth wheels mounted in the cargo box area may have the original equipment tailgate removed to allow the trailer towing neck to be coupled to the fifth wheel. When the trailer is detached, however, the truck will have a cargo box which is open at the aft end.
Still further, tailgates are frequently removed from pickup trucks in an attempt to achieve improved gas mileage, even though studies have shown that such practices are not effective.
The approach of simply not having a tailgate is undesirable for many obvious reasons, and the use of mesh or strapping barriers has presented problems in manipulation of the webbing during removal and deployment.
Cargo box bed liners also are in widespread use as a result of the proliferation of pickup trucks, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles. Such bed liners originally were intended to protect the cargo box of the transport vehicle from being damaged during loading and unloading of cargo. More recently, however, such bed liners have also included structures which enable cargo restraint.
The least complex of such cargo restraining bed liners merely provide non-skid surfaces, such as found in the bed liners of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,570,921 and 5,803,531. Bed liners also may include tailgate padding panels which are supported by the original equipment tailgate, such as may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,710.
Restraint of the movement of cargo within the four walls of a cargo space using cargo restraining bed liners also has been undertaken. Thus, bed liners which are grooved or pocketed and are used with cooperatively formed, plug-in type, cargo restraining members are well known. Typical of such systems are the devices of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,131,709, 5,549,428, 5,599,055, 5,655,863, 5,673,956, 5,788,309 and 5,788,310. This type of plug-in cargo restraint approach also has even been used on floor mats for automobiles. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,695.
Additionally, various types of auxiliary equipment have been developed for mounting to or proximate transport vehicle tailgates. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,311 a tailgate-mounted step assembly is disclosed, while in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,537 a removable storage shelf assembly is mounted proximate the tailgate or lift gate of an SUV or van.
Finally, various cargo compartments have been designed for use in the cargo areas of transport vehicles. Typically, these structures simply have been placed in the cargo area, and as a result, they often permanently significantly reduce the volume of the cargo space available for cargo which cannot be placed in the compartments. Such prior art storage compartments are illustrated, for example, by the systems of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,615,922 and 5,685,593.
As used herein, the expression "transport vehicle" shall include motor vehicles, such as, pickups, SUVs, vans, automobiles, buses, commercial trucks, watercraft, aircraft, trains, even golf carts, and equivalent motored vehicles intended to transport cargo, as well as towed or unpowered cargo carriers, such as trailers and barges, and equivalent unpowered vehicles intended to transport cargo.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cargo restraining gate assembly and method for use in a transport vehicle, and a transport vehicle employing the same, which acts as a movable cargo space defining wall for the cargo space of the vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cargo restraining gate assembly and method for a transport vehicle which can be easily installed as an after-market product and which provides a highly effective barrier wall without substantially reducing the cargo space available in the vehicle for holding and transporting cargo.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a stowable cargo restraining gate assembly which is easier to manipulate or operate than conventional transport vehicle gate assemblies, such as tailgates.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cargo restraining gate assembly and method which will not impede cargo loading or unloading, is durable, is compact, and is relatively inexpensive to construct.
The transport vehicle gate assembly, vehicle and method of the present invention has other objects and features which will become apparent from, or are described in more detail in, the following description of the Best Mode of Carrying Out the Invention and the accompanying drawing.